Background: Adolescence is defi ned as the teenage period of life, involving major biological changes and psycho-social development. In adolescence, the girls fi rst experience menstruation and good hygiene is essential during this period. Menstrual hygiene is an issue that is insuffi ciently acknowledged and has not received adequate attention in the reproductive health in developing countries. Aim: To elicit the knowledge, attitude and practice of menstrual hygiene in adolescent slum dwelling girls of Siliguri city. Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional, community based study was conducted in slums of Siliguri city of West Bengal and cluster sampling was used to select 798 post menarcheal adolescent girls residing in the slums. Data on knowledge, attitude and practices regarding menstruation were collected with the help of a pre-tested and semi-structured schedule. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using SPSS 16 software (Chicago IL, USA). Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate proportion, mean and standard deviation and Chi square test was used to test the association between categorical variables and a P<0.05 was considered signifi cant. Results: The knowledge of the respondents was assessed and it was found that only 23.4% (187 out of 798) knew about menstruation before menarche, whereas 653 out of 798 girls remarked sanitary napkins as the ideal absorbent. Regarding attitude towards menstruation, 55% of girls attributed menstruation as a debilitating event and 37.6% of them agreed that their periods resulted in no negative eff ect. When enquired about the menstrual practices 71.3% used sanitary napkins as absorbent material. Majority of the study participants had fair knowledge and practice about menstruation. Conclusion: The results of the present study highlights the fact that more eff orts should be made to create awareness about hygienic practices during menstrual period, especially in underserved areas like slums.

Background: Job satisfaction expresses the extent of congruence between an individual’s expectation of the job and the reward that the job provides.Job satisfaction among doctors is an issue that is of utmost importance because offactors like patient relationships and time pressures associated with managed care. The current study was done to determine the level of job satisfaction in doctors posted in a tertiary care hospital of eastern India and to find out the factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 255 doctors posted in a tertiary care hospital of eastern India. Data werecollected using a self-reported questionnaire consisting of 49 items addressing the seven domains of job satisfaction, where higher values indicated higher level of satisfaction. The average scores of items were computed to construct factor scores for each individual. Two stage cluster analysis was performed to get the proportion of satisfied doctors and binary logistic regression was used for comparison of predictors of job satisfaction. Results: The proportion of job satisfaction was found to be 59.6% and the most important factor was found to be working space. On adjustment, the odds of being satisfied were found to be higher in the older age groups, among males, doctors posted in preclinical or paraclinical departments and those staying in present setting for 5 years or more. Conclusion: More than half of the doctors were found to be satisfied with their job which can help the policy makers to make necessary strategies to increase the level of satisfaction of the employees. .

A cross sectional study was conducted from February - May 2009 with the objectives to find out profile of injuries among municipal primary school children in Siliguri, West Bengal and to identify the related factor associated with injury. 20% of total primary schools under municipal corporation of the town were selected and a pre-designed, pre-tested schedule was used to assess the profile of injury and associated factors. The Chi square test was usedto determine statistical significance at the 0.05 significance level. Out of 956 participants, a significantly higher injury was observed among males (68%). Open wound injuries were commonest (59.6%) occurring mainly at the extremities. Falls were mainly responsible for overall injuries. Injury at home (41.8%) was also found to be more. Mother education, number of siblings and presence of caregiver were significant related factors to injury.

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Background:Dyslipidemia, one of the classical Framingham risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, accounts significantly to the rise of non communicable diseases in India. Urbanization, along with greater consumption of dietary fats and decreased physical activity, has led to an increase in this problem manifold. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia among urban adults of Siliguri city, West Bengal and to identify the cardio-vascular risk factors associated with it.Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out among the 226 adults aged ≥20yrs in an urban area of Siliguri city, West Bengal, India. Data was collected by detailed history and physical examination; biochemical measurements were done using standards procedures. Dyslipidemia was defined by the presence of one or more than one abnormal serum lipid concentration. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square test, t test and logistic regression analysis using SPSS 20 software (Chicago, IL, USA).Results: Dyslipidemia was prevalent among 78.4 % of the total study subjects. Dyslipidemia was more in males than in females & in both males and females it was more prevalent in the age group 40 -59 years than in any other age group. It was associated with higher odds of major cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, hyperglycemias, and tobacco use. Conclusion:Dyslipidemia remains a significant and growing problem in this part of the country. The reduction in the disease burden will require changes in life style as well as in national policies.

Introduction:Nutrient adequacy is the level of intake of an essential nutrient in relation to the nutrient requirement for adequate health, which is expressed as the percentage of recommended dietary allowance. To develop an effective nationwide preventive program to combat malnutrition, it is necessary not only to assess the nature and magnitude of the problem of nutrient inadequacy but to identify factors affecting it especially at the household level.Objective:To estimate the prevalence of nutrient adequacy in a sample of households in a rural area of Darjeeling district and to find out the factors associated with nutrient adequacy.Materials and Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from January 2014 to December 2014 in 821 households of Darjeeling district, India. The major dependent variable used in this study was the mean nutrient adequacy ratio of a household and the independent variables were number of family members, number of under-five children in the family, literacy of head of the family, literacy of the wife of the head of the family, income of the family, and percentage expenditure on food.Results:The prevalence of nutrient adequate households was found to be 35.3% among the study households. It was observed that the percentage expenditure on food had the highest contribution toward nutrient adequacy, followed by number of under-five children in the family and literacy of the wife of the head of the family. Undernutrition was found to be prevalent in 56.6% of the households.Conclusion:Majority of the study population had a diet less than the required amount and expectedly, undernutrition was also present in huge proportions.

Background: Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices play an instrumental role in the social and in turn the individual aspect of human life for promotion of good growth, health, behaviour and cognitive development of the child. Objectives: To find out the current Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and their correlates among tribal children aged 0-23 months residing in a tea garden of Darjeeling district, West Bengal. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken among 109 children aged 0-23 months belonging to tribal parents. The mothers of the selected children were interviewed at their home with the help of a pre-tested pre-designed schedule and information on socio-demographic profile, feeding history and feeding practices of the study children was collected. In addition, anthropometric measurements were also done. Results: Among the infants aged below 6 months, breastfeeding was found to be universal. Initiation of complementary feed in the form of semi-solid/solid food was done before and after 6 months in 9.5% and 90.5% respectively among children aged 6-23 months. 44 % of the study population was found to have age-appropriate feeding practices. Conclusion: Infant and young child feeding practices were found to be quite poor in the tribal children. Interventions are needed to improve the knowledge of the mothers regarding the same.

Background:Insulin resistance (IR), as a result of unhealthy life-styles and westernization, most likely contributes to the increased incidence of metabolic abnormalities and consequently, the development of metabolic syndrome (MS).Aim:The present study was undertaken to determine the magnitude of IR and associated clinico-metabolic risk factors among the out-patients of a tertiary care hospital in Bihar, India.Subjects and Methods:Anthropometric profile, lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP) and C-peptide of 112 individuals were measured using the standard procedures. IR was assessed using the homeostasis model (Homeostatic model assessment [HOMA]-IR).Results:The mean IR was 1.5 (1.0). Individuals with MS, higher body mass index and CRP ≥6 mg/l had higher IR. Linear regression showed, among the components of MS, waist circumference had the highest contribution toward IR. The optimal cut-off value to detect IR by HOMA2-IR was 1.35.Conclusion:IR was found to have a strong association with various clinico-metabolic risk factors.